


My Last Hope

by AnimalCops



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Character Death, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-04-08 00:20:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19095928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnimalCops/pseuds/AnimalCops
Summary: Remus sucked in a deep, shuddering breath as he stood by a hospital bed in St. Mungos. He closed his eyes to take away the painful sight before him. A gentle touch on his arm made him open his eyes again and he glanced down at Tonks, meeting her eyes.“Dora…” Remus whispered, he couldn’t get his voice any louder even if he wanted to. But he didn’t want to disturb the man in the bed.





	My Last Hope

**Author's Note:**

> This idea was given to me when sharing headcanons with Jae! She had this amazingly heartbreaking idea and I just had to write something.

Remus sucked in a deep, shuddering breath as he stood by a hospital bed in St Mungos. He closed his eyes to take away the painful sight before him. A gentle touch on his arm made him open his eyes again and he glanced down at Tonks, meeting her eyes. 

“Dora…” Remus whispered, he couldn’t get his voice any louder even if he wanted to. But he didn’t want to disturb the man in the bed. 

He was old now; but to Remus he had always been the picture of health. Lyall lay there, his chest rising and falling in slow, very slow, breaths. And Remus knew he would be gone tonight. He knew. He could feel it. _Animal instinct_ he had jokingly said to Tonks earlier in the day, tears falling down his cheeks. 

“It’s alright, Remus.” She said softly back, her own voice gentle. 

He covered her hand with his. He swallowed hard, eyes falling on his father’s failing form. The grey hair atop Lyall’s head was messy and his face had a fair bit of scruff. His deep brown eyes were closed and his mouth was parted slightly as he took in shallow breaths. 

“I don’t know if I can do this, Dora.”

“You’ve got to. You know you have to.” She leaned against him gently, hand rubbing over the sleeve of his sweater. 

"Seeing him… like this?" Remus shook his head a little and looked at Tonks with sorrow in his eyes. "It's hard."

Through a low wheezing breath, Lyall spoke up with a chuckle, "I can hear you."

Remus startled, and his reaction caused Tonks to jump slightly as well. "Dad," Remus broke away from his wife and moved to sit on the chair beside the bed. He took Lyall's hand in his own and squeezed it gently. He gave a sad sort of smile at the weak squeeze back. "How are you feeling?" He asked, stupidly, without anything else to say. With no way to communicate the heartbreak and desperation he was feeling.

"Ah," Lyall said, smiling, "You know, I've been better. But, I do know it's almost time, son." Lyall gave another small squeeze of his hand. "You've got to be brave enough for the both of us." 

"Right." Remus said, giving a sniff and rubbing at his eyes with his free hand. "Yeah."

He saw motion out of the corner of his eye on the other side of the bed. Looking up, his heart nearly stopped beating. He knew it was Tonks, of course it was. But she was a mirror image of his mother before she had passed away. The brown hair that gently framed her face fell messy as it always did. The sparkling blue of her eyes was dusted with bits of other colors, giving the feeling of a beautiful tidal pool. Her lips curved upwards in a small smile, eyes crinkling lightly at the sides. He knew that this image that Tonks was wearing was the same that graced every picture frame in the Lupin family cottage. 

She took Lyall's other hand and he rolled his eyes to look at who had held it. 

His eyes widened a fraction and his voice came out in an airy exhale, "Hope…"

She smiled, head tilting to the side, just like in the photographs. "Lyall, dear." 

Her voice. 

Remus' heart gave a sharp pang. His breath caught in his throat. 

Her voice was gentle and light and even though Remus knew that Tonks had no idea what Hope sounded like when she was alive; he knew for sure that her voice gave off that same comfort and warmth. Tears welled up in his eyes and he quickly blinked them back. 

"Hope," Lyall said again, tears in his own eyes now. "Oh, I've missed you."

She gave the smallest nod of her head, and moved her free hand to wipe the fallen tears off of his cheeks. "I've missed you too, dearest." 

"You've been gone so long." He whispered desperately, blurry vision focused on the image of his long dead wife. "You're still so beautiful."

His breathing halted entirely for a brief moment and then he coughed. His eyelid lowered slightly, just slightly. As though he couldn't bear to stop looking at the woman he loved. Lyall smiled weakly. 

Remus stood abruptly when the breathing stopped. He held onto his father's hand tightly. He knew it.

He just knew.

"Dad?"

"Yes, son?" He spoke, but didn't break away from looking at the image of Hope. 

"Dad, it's okay." Remus swallowed hard, tears spilling once more. He wasn't sure how. He didn't think he had any left.

"What's okay, Remus?" Lyall said, turning his head to look at his son. 

"It's okay, you can sleep. You can rest now." 

"Ah," Lyall gave a weak nod of his head. "You'll stay? And… Hope?" He looked from Remus to Tonks and back to Remus once more. "I'm rather tired, you know. I… I could use some rest."

"Yeah," Remus' voice cracked abruptly. "Yeah, of course. We'll stay with you."

"I love you, son." He said, "And I'm sorry.... I do regret the things I've done, the choices I made. I hope I did right by you." The words seemed to take nearly all his energy to speak. He closed his eyes.

"Of course. Of course you did, you were wonderful. I love you too."

Lyall's head rolled to the side, and his eyes cracked open to look at Tonks. "Hope. Oh, my Hope. I missed you so much. I love you with all I've got."

"I love you, Lyall." She said, voice warm and soft. Like coming home. 

He shifted slightly, as much as he could, on the hospital bed. He closed his eyes, squeezing his hands to feel his family. 

Lyall Lupin died that night; surrounded by the light of his life and the love of his life: his son and wife. 

Lyall Lupin died that night; a gentle smile on his lips, ready to reunite with the woman of his dreams. 

Lyall Lupin died that night; and he finally spoke his mind and his worries.

Lyall Lupin died that night; and he finally heard his son's comforting reassurances. 

He did well by his son. That was all he needed to hear.


End file.
